With just a 30" hedge trimmer,I would stick with your time,2-3 hours.That is,if it's 7 feet tall.You're going to be using a ladder and moving it a good bit.Also,don't know how much overgrowth there is.Will you be cutting alot or just trimming it slightly?
Now,if you go buy an extended,articulating head hedge trimmer,this will greatly reduce your time.You can climb the ladder and trim a huge swath of the hedge from one place.Move it down,trim some more.Then,from the ground,you can trim
the sides from 7 feet,down to a managable area that you can use the 30" trimmer.Take a spring tine rake to go across the hedge after trimming.This will allow the cut stems and leaves to fall into the hedge rather than letting them sit on top,where they will be noticeable after they dry up.Rake the side clippings up and bag them to remove.If the customer happens to be home when you're working,the last thing they want to see is you mulching the clippings and blowing them back under the hedge.They're paying for a quality job and expect more than that.(at least in my opinion,but each has his own opinion on quality)

With just a 30" hedge trimmer,I would stick with your time,2-3 hours.That is,if it's 7 feet tall.You're going to be using a ladder and moving it a good bit.Also,don't know how much overgrowth there is.Will you be cutting alot or just trimming it slightly?
Now,if you go buy an extended,articulating head hedge trimmer,this will greatly reduce your time.You can climb the ladder and trim a huge swath of the hedge from one place.Move it down,trim some more.Then,from the ground,you can trim
the sides from 7 feet,down to a managable area that you can use the 30" trimmer.Take a spring tine rake to go across the hedge after trimming.This will allow the cut stems and leaves to fall into the hedge rather than letting them sit on top,where they will be noticeable after they dry up.Rake the side clippings up and bag them to remove.If the customer happens to be home when you're working,the last thing they want to see is you mulching the clippings and blowing them back under the hedge.They're paying for a quality job and expect more than that.(at least in my opinion,but each has his own opinion on quality)

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Nick, you make some very good points. This will be a major trim. An old lady owned the house before and did nothing to maintain it. I will certainly look into the articulating head trimmer to save me 1000 steps on my ladder. Thanks for your opinion and time!